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Honorable Wilfred Gammon Institute
Overview Honorable Wilfred Gammon Institute is a private boarding high school located Northwest from Gammonsburg in Washington state. One of the United States' most prestigious educational facilities, Honorable Wilfred Gammon Institute, or 'Gammon' for short, has a reputation of excellence and success in both academia and athletics. Hosting grades 9 through 12, Gammon is seen as a facility that shapes adolescent minds and bodies into the very best that modern society has to offer, preparing youngsters for the real world while keeping them away from its many vices. Indeed, it has a reputation for strictness and isolationism, its rural setting lending well to the school's attitudes towards keeping both students and faculty in, and all others out. Gammon maintains professional relationships with only three other private schools, located both within Washington and surrounding states, and does so only for the occasional sharing of resources as well seasonal sports tournaments. Gaining entry into Gammon is not simple: It requires a written application submitted by the prospective student's parents, followed by a telephone interview between the parents and the Dean of Admissions. If this goes well, an interview is held between the Dean of Admissions and the prospective student along with his or her family. Exceptionally promising students will be accepted outright from here, though many have to go to a second, more grueling interview with the Headmaster himself before getting a final verdict. Even once accepted, tuition fees are prohibitively expensive, guaranteeing that no one attends Gammon on a whim. Scholarships are available, though their conditions are often secretive and rarely discussed. Despite being a school without religious affiliation, Gammon still has strict policies towards uniform, gender, and relationships. Few sports are co-ed, and absolutely none of the dorms are. Male and female students are kept in separate buildings, with same-gendered faculty living in the ground levels as permanent chaperones. Male and female uniforms are distinct, with girls strictly being prohibited from wearing pants instead of skirts. Student dating of all kinds is publicly frowned upon by the faculty, no matter the ages or sexualities of the concerned parties. Furthermore, Gammon has never in its life time had a student who was openly queer in any regard, which is something that is starting to become a sticking point for liberal scholastic communities. Students are sorted randomly into one of four houses upon entry to the school. This houses determine which building the student will call home for the duration of their stay as Gammon, as well as which teams they play on in intramural sports teams. Points are awarded and taken away by faculty members for exceptionally good or poor behavior, as well as accomplishments in both academia and athletics. Each year a winner is announced, which determines which flag is flown along with the US, Washington, and School flags near the front gates, and which colours the mess hall is decorated in for the next year. House loyalty is strongly encouraged, though only as a backdrop to school-identity in the face of other institutions. All students who attend Gammon live on campus, and as such the school is responsible for filling their days even outside of classes and homework. Each student is therefore required to be a member of no fewer than two extracurricular activities outside of classes at all times. These include both a wide range of seasonal sports, as well as clubs that are active year-round. All clubs must be sanctioned by the school, which had lead to groups who celebrate non-Christian religions, sexuality, or non-conventional pass times to be forbidden. Despite this, many groups barely live up to their name, functioning much more as social clubs. However, this also means that they often scramble to produce a tangible product at the end of each semester to ensure their continued existence. Gammon officially closes its doors to students every year for the months of July and August. A skeleton crew continues to operate the school for students during the other three major holiday events, during which classes do not run and student presence is wholly optional. These times include one week for Christmas and New Years, one week between semesters at the start of February, and one week for spring break in April. Geography Buildings 1. Dorian Newkirk Library: The main Library on Campus. 2. Morse: Houses the Admin and Headmaster's Office. The upper floors are the primary girls' dormitory for the Magicians. 3. O'Neil House: A building constructed as a resident faculty home and student dorm, serving as the secondary boys' dormitory for the Knights. This building is identical to the Kraft House. 4. Henke House: The newest dormitory on campus, and part of a larger housing complex with the Duggan House. This building houses 8 faculty families and 84 students, making it the primary girls' dormitory for the Royals. 5. Wentz: The offices for Communications, IT Services, Development and Alumni Relations are housed in this building. The Digital Graphics Arts classroom is a new addition. 6. Glass: A Jester dormitory for boys, and a faculty residence. 7. Providencia Locklear Facility for the Sciences: One of the larger buildings on campus, the PLFS features 22 classrooms and labs, a study area, conservatory, and a 150-seat auditorium used for smaller school events. 8. Randolph House: A repurposed home now used exclusively for College counselling. 9. Susanna Heinz House: A faculty residence and girls' dormitory for the Jesters. 10. Steinberg Shops: A large workhouse utilized for teaching ceramics and sculpture classes. 11. Messenger Cottage: One of the original dormitories. This building is still being used as a faculty residence and student dorm, now the secondary house for Royals boys. 12. McGrew House: A faculty residence and secondary student dormitory for Royals girls. 13. Saylor House: Once utilized as a guest house, this building is now solely used as the Summer Programs office. 14. Edgar House: One of the grandest buildings on campus, this building is a staple in the lives of students at Gammon. It contains the Dining Hall, Academic and Deans offices, and serves as the primary girls' dormitories for the Knights. This building is the architectural twin of the Worthy House. 15. Homestead: One of the original campus buildings, its old classrooms have long since been converted a boys' dormitory for the Jesters. 16. Healy Tennis Center: Offers 22 tennis courts, a clubhouse and several meeting rooms. 17. Domonique Sutter Student Center: One of the primary hubs of student life at Gammon. Contains a post office, school store, and cyber cafe. Events such as dances, movie nights, live performances, are hosted here, and it is the ideal place to pick up games and snacks. 18. Vandyke Environmental Facility: A building dedicated to environmental research. Contains three labs, in addition to serving as housing for two faculty families and female students from the Jesters. 19. Avery Cornelius House: Housing for faculty members with families. 20. Masters Gymnasium: A prominent physical education facility outfitted with sprung flooring and a rock climbing wall. Used to house archery practice during the winter months. 21. Chilton House: A girls' dormitory used as a secondary residence for the Magicians. Also serves as housing for faculty. 22. Kraft House: A building constructed as a resident faculty home and student dorm, serving as the secondary girls' dormitory for the Knights. This building is identical to the O'Neil House. 23. Worthy House: The primary dormitory for the Knights boys, as well as a faculty residence. This building is the twin of the Edgar House. 24. McCurdy House: The primary residence for the Magicians boys. 25. Ezra Pippin Arts Society: A three part structure with east and west wings, connected by an underground experimental theater. The east wing houses a gallery, a fine arts studio, classrooms, and music practice rooms. The west wing contains an 850 seat theater, the largest on campus. 26. Emmitt Booker Center for the Humanities: Houses the English, history, philosophy, religion, and social sciences departments. Recently opened up a digital video studio. 27. Kohler Health Center: This building contains the Infirmary, in addition to counseling offices. 28. Wellman: Located here are the financial and human resources offices. In addition, this building is used to host special events and meetings. 29. Aurelio Knudson Hall: The departments of math, robotics, and computer science are housed here. This building also boasts the new robotic center, a student and faculty lounge, a cafe and other common areas. 30. Ileen Earley Lodge: A classical, restored home used to host special events, as well as provide lodging for visitors and prospective students and their families. 31. Silas Corrigan Chapel: A non-denominational chapel. Its doors remain open at all hours, and hosts services for various religions. This building is also commonly used to host school events. 32. Bennett Pepper House: One of the oldest buildings on campus, it serves as a faculty residence and secondary student dormitory for the Magicians boys. 33. Felton Hall: Houses the language department, including a 32-station language media lab. 34. Duggan House: One of the newest dormitories on campus, and part of a larger housing complex with the Henke House. This building houses 8 faculty families and 84 students, making it the primary boys' dormitory for the Royals. 35. Dean Epperson Athletics Center: The school's premier gymnasium. It houses multiple basketball, squash, and volleyball/tennis courts. It also has a wrestling room, 1/10 mile indoor track, fitness center, training room, and a dance/aerobics center. Fields A. Brenner Field: A baseball diamond. B. Riggins Track: A full length running track. C. Mayhew Creek: A soccer field. D. McCabe Field: A baseball diamond. E. Rodrigues Field: Two full-sized turf fields, featuring stadium seating and lights. Used for lacrosse, field hockey, soccer and football. F. Haggerty South: A lacrosse/soccer field. G. Tyner Field: A football field. H. Connell: A small field for softball and frisbee. I. Chestnut East: A small field for soccer and frisbee. J. Chestnut West: Another small field for soccer and frisbee. K. Noelle Wayne Tennis Courts: Additional tennis courts. L. North Lilley Upper: A soccer field. M. North Lilley Lower: Another soccer field N. McVey: A football field Other I. Circle of Headmasters: A memorial to headmasters who served the school in the past. Each of them is represented by a bust, accompanied by their years of service to Gammon. II. The Bunker: A secret underground nuclear fallout shelter absent from any school map. Constructed during the Cold War as a protective measure for the teaching staff, it is now entirely forgotten about. It serves as the base of operations for the 11th Hour Power Rangers. Houses Royals History One of the two original houses, the Royals was created by school founder Werner H. Bittermann. Bittermann believed strongly in individual, pre-determined temperaments, and therefore sorted prospective students into three categories: Thinkers, doers, and nobodies. Those in the later category were not accepted to the school, while individuals in the first two categories would be sorted into one of the original two houses. Thinkers were sorted into the house of Royals. Royals were expected to achieve a higher degree of academic success, move on to university after their time at Gammon, and become intellectuals and leaders in their adults lives. Original House Head Bartholemew Hubbard Current House Head Jackson Piqué Modern Stereotypes Despite the fact that all sorting is random, stereotypes for all houses persist and self-perpetuate. The Royals continue to achieve a higher degree of academic success, particularly in math and the higher sciences. They tend to come from wealthier, more influential families, or at least behave as though they do. Non-athletic school clubs have a tendency to have a disproportionately high membership of Royals membership, though whether this is a sign of being outgoing or desperate networking remains up for debate. Despite (or perhaps due to) their cleverness, Royals tend to be strong-minded and opinionated to a fault, often behave in self-centered ways, and are prone to sabotaging their fellow students even when it serves them little. It is often said that the Royals are smart enough to take over the school, but their constant in-fighting prevents them from routinely winning the yearly house cup. Knights History One of the two original houses, the Knights was created by school founder Werner H. Bittermann. As per Bittermann's belief in temperaments, the Knights started out serving as a house of 'doers'. Knights were expected to be more successful in sporting events, move on to college after their time at Gammon, and take on more physical, less intellectually demanding roles in their adult lives. Original House Head Foster Pelletier Current House Head Karren Spicer Modern Stereotypes Despite the fact that all sorting is random, stereotypes for all houses persist and self-perpetuate. The Knights continue to lead the school in athletic achievements, with nearly all of the school's athletic record holders belonging to Knights alumni. It is often said that no Gammon All-School team has ever won a game against rival school Saint Linhard without featuring at least one Knight in a prominent role. Despite the house's less academic background, the Knights now lead the school in the practical sciences. Knights make life-long friendships within the house and are intensely loyal to one another, but have a tendency to shy away or even be confrontational to students from other houses. The Royals are their sworn rivals, with the Knights often resorting to unendorsed methods of revenge. Occasionally, the Knights are seen as dull-minded or zombie-like followers, but few are fool enough to state that opinion in front of them. Fewer Knights can be found among the ranks of non-athletic clubs, but that may only be because so many of them focus on athleticism. Jesters History The House of Jesters was not incorporated until later in the school's history. Towards the end of Werner H. Bittermann's career, he was being pressured by other school officials to broaden his standards for student acceptance to include those he traditionally rejected on principle. Many less-exceptional students came from wealthy or influential families, and many within the school felt it was unwise to reject these potential investments. Bittermann finally did expand his standards for acceptance, but sorted these 'nobodies' into the House of Jesters. They were expected to excel in no area other than trouble-making, and as such were nearly regarded as criminals by the faculty, constantly keeping them under a close watch and issuing veiled threats. Original House Head Marylyn Farris Current House Head Marcelo Altman Modern Stereotypes Despite the fact that all sorting is random, stereotypes for all houses persist and self-perpetuate. The Jesters have done much to overcome their negative begins; Since sorting is now randomized, being sorted as a Jester is no long an official mark of shame. Despite this, it is still considered the lesser of the houses by the student body. The Jesters rarely make headlines, since they tend to perform above average at all tasks, academic and athletic, but are almost never the best. They tend to be devious, mischievous, and extraordinarily lazy. Despite this, they have the gift of gab, and often forge strong friendships with members of other houses, something that is unique to the Jesters. In addition, their rebellious nature lends them strong potential towards leadership qualities. When they can be bothered, active Jester club members have little difficulty in stepping into leadership roles. A disproportionately high number of Jesters members are heads non-athletic clubs. In recent years, the Jesters have become known to be the school leaders of computer science and golf, but unfortunately, no one seems to care. Magicians History The newest of the Houses, the House of Magicians was founded in order to deal with a boom in school enrollment in the 1960s. The only house to be founded after the school began sorting students randomly, there were no stereotypes surrounded them initially. The name of the House had been selected by then Headmaster Lawrence Corley, despite backlash from both within the school and the public at large. Members of the opposition often championed the notion that the name alluded to the occult, witchcraft, or Satanism. Corley always defended his choice in names, stating both that it fit with the Medieval theme of house names, and that as an educational institution, Gammon had no interest in the occult, positive or otherwise. He went on to clarify his reasoning for the name, saying that it would encourage students to seek the answers to the unknown, unravel truths behind junk science, and attempt to achieve what others would call impossible. Original House Head Bernardina Derber Current House Head Felicia Saxon Modern Stereotypes Despite the fact that all sorting is random, stereotypes for all houses persist and self-perpetuate. Despite now being a House of equal-standing for over 50 years, there is still a negative air surrounding the Magicians. Some say that this is because of their lack of long-reaching history, while others attribute it to the controversy that surrounded its introduction. Whatever the reason, the Magicians have developed the reputation for being a 'cursed' house. Indeed, there does seem to be some evidence towards this hypothesis: The Magicians have the highest rate of student mortality in the school, the highest rate of expulsion, and the highest rate of failure, though all only marginally so. Despite this negativity, Magicians are typically friendly, even to members of other houses, and are rarely outright hated. The House forged a positive identity during Gammon's artistic expansion, finding their place as school leaders in the arts. Among the ranks of the Magicians are the most talented musicians, painters, sculptors, actors, and linguists. Magicians tend to be shy and socially awkward, even around each other, and as such rarely excel in sports or clubs. Uniforms Boys Fall Fitted white button-up shirt with a green Gammon 'G' on the breast pocket, dark green trousers, tall black socks, black loafers, black belt with gold-coloured buckle, green-and-gold full-length tie in a Windsor knot, gold tie clip, and black blazer with gold trim on pockets and lapels. The Gammon crest is sewn on the right shoulder, and a metallic house pin is affixed to the left lapel. Winter Optional winter apparel worn over fall uniform includes: Black knee-length overcoat with Gammon crest on right shoulder and metallic house pin affixed to left lapel, black galoshes, thin house-coloured gloves, and three-tone scarf (green, gold, and house). Summer Optional summer apparel worn instead of fall uniform includes: Fitted, short-sleeved white button-up shirt with green Gammon 'G' on the breast pocket and metallic house pin affixed to left collar, and dark green short pants or green-and-gold tartan kilt. Fall uniform standards for socks, shoes, belt, and tie remain unchanged. Blazers optional. Girls Fall Fitted white button-up blouse with green Gammon 'G' on the breast pocket, dark green knee-length pleated skirt, black hosiery, black loafers, green-and-gold short tie in a half-Windsor knot, gold tie pin, and black blazer with gold trim on pockets and lapels. The Gammon crest is sewn on the right shoulder, and a metallic house pin is affixed to the left lapel. Winter Optional winter apparel worn instead of fall uniform includes: Green-and-gold tartan kilt, and black leggings. Fall uniform standards for blouse, shoes, tie, and blazer remain unchanged. Optional winter apparel worn over fall uniform includes: Black knee-length double-breasted pea coat with Gammon crest on right shoulder and metallic house pin affixed to left lapel, black galoshes, thin house-coloured gloves, and three-tone scarf (green, gold, and house). Summer Optional summer apparel worn instead of fall uniform includes: Fitted, short-sleeved white button-up blouse with green Gammon 'G' on the breast pocket and metallic house pin affixed to left collar, and tall black socks. Fall uniform standards for skirt, shoes, and tie remain unchanged. Blazers optional. Curriculum Overview Students have an 8 period school day at Gammon, consisting of 7 courses and a lunch period, each lasting 50 minutes. There is a ten minute 'break' at the end of every period to allow students and teachers to travel to their next period's location. Two lunch periods are held everyday, during periods 4 and 5. Students are assigned to one of these two lunch periods at the start of ever semester along with their class schedule. Requirements All students must successfully take no fewer than 52 courses over their four years at Gammon. This allows for 4 'spare' periods over each students career, though these are rarely taken advantage of. Of the 52 credits required for graduation, 34 of them must come from required courses. These include: -8 English courses -8 Math courses -6 Sciences courses -4 Language courses -2 Social Science courses -2 History courses -2 Arts courses -2 courses from either Religion or Philosophy Electives Students may take any class as an elective, as so long as they meet the minimum requirements for doing so. For example, a student in the 10th grade will not be permitted to take a senior level course unless they have already accomplished a related course on the Grade 11 level. Students at Gammon must earn 18 credits beyond the 34 from the above-mentioned required fields. Majors and Minors While not required, students may opt to complete majors or minors in any field of study. Required courses may not be counted towards major or minor fields. They must be electives. To apply for a major, a student must have earned 8 credits from one field of study. To apply for a minor, a student must have earned 6 credits from one field of study. Majors and minors are somewhat flexible. They can be as broad as "Mathematics" or as specialized as "Painting", pending school approval. Course Offerings Click here to download a list of courses offered by Gammon. Sports There are three sports seasons at Gammon and surrounding private schools: Fall, Winter, and Spring. The fall term starts in September and runs until the end of November, Winter runs from December through to the end of March, and Spring runs from April to the end of June. During the duration of these seasons, four teams are assembled to represent each House and compete, with House Points being awarded for each game won, and additional points awarded for winning the season. For non-team sports, any student from any house may participate, with points being awarded to the victor's house. At the end of each season, the school engages in the unimaginatively named "Four School Tournament". Like the name suggests, this thrice-a-year event sees Gammon competing with three other schools: Saint Linhard Christian Academy, the Dickinson School, and Nikolao Saffron Hall. Four sports are played each season, indicted below in bold. The teams for these games are assembled by the winning House, consisting primarily of members of the winning House's team plus the strongest players from others. Non-team sports are participated in by the best performing athletes of the season. Clubs __FORCETOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__